The total count of victims due to the transport jet which caught fire and crashed has now risen to 13, per recent announcements.
City Leader's Remarks
“On my way to the Workers’ candlelight gathering, I received word of a 13th person that lost their life as a consequence of the UPS flight 2976 incident,” wrote the city mayor in a social media post. “My thoughts is with the relatives, companions and co-workers of all who were lost in this recently occurred tragedy. We will overcome this as one.”
Deceased Confirmed
An announcement from the company identified the officers operating the McDonnell Douglas MD-11 as Pilot Richard Wartenberg, First Officer Lee Truitt, and International Relief Officer Dana Diamond.
“Our hearts are extended to all UPSer who has been impacted and everyone in our Louisville community – helping you and ensuring you get the support and resources you need is our main concern,” the company’s message expressed.
Inquiry Findings
National officials disclosed that the jet’s wing caught fire and an power plant separated soon after takeoff from the airfield, leading to the jet to plummet and burst into a fireball.
The National Transportation Safety Board has said it is examining the aircraft’s service record, that was in Texas for repairs several weeks prior to the accident.
Aviation information revealed the jet was on the runway in that location from 3 September to 18 October.
“We are cognizant that this plane was located in that city,” stated an NTSB member on later, without providing a precise time frame. “We will review every piece of service that was performed, including the Texas time, right up to the day of the trip.”
Retrieval of Critical Items
The audio device and data recorder were found, and the power plant was located on the airfield.
The devices – referred to as data containers – were constructed to withstand accident forces and extreme temperatures from infernos, and they appeared to be undamaged when found among the wreckage. Investigators intend to examining recordings from the recorders.
Aircraft’s concluding flight details showed an elevation of 475 ft and a velocity of that speed prior to the accident.
Service Background
Based on Federal Aviation Administration files from 18 September, a crack on a part inside the center wing fuel tank required fixes.
Singapore-based ST Engineering, which indicated it provides aircraft servicing for UPS’s jet and operates a repair facility in San Antonio, declined to provide remarks, but expressed it would work closely when relevant authorities contacted it.
Operations Resume
In the meantime, the facility services restarted Wednesday night with its overnight also known as evening procedure, representative the company official confirmed. Each of the three landing strips at Louisville Muhammad Ali international airport were also open again.
The UPS package handling facility in Louisville is the organization’s most significant. The hub employs in excess of twenty thousand workers in the area, processes numerous aircraft per day and organizes over four hundred thousand parcels per hour.
Community Support
A memorial was held on the late afternoon of 6 November by the regional labor union, which supports staff at the airfield, the company’s primary air cargo hub.
Worker representatives, which supports employees, began the memorial with a moment of silence at that time, the estimated time of the accident before.
“This event was so unexpected, so unforeseen,” the leader told the assembly of two hundred. “No one had a chance to part to any of those who we have mourned.”
